Burdwan, Oct. 6: Three second semester students of the Durgapur Regional Engineering College were today suspended for six months (one semester) on charges of ragging.

In a circular issued today, principal Saktipada Ghosh asked the students to leave the college premises in 24 hours.

The decision follows complaints lodged by students who had just entered the engineering college.

Kaushik Das (mechanical) from Haldia, Sourav Das (electrical) from Salt Lake, Calcutta, and Utpal Saha (information technology) of Tantipara in Birbhum were identified by the first semester students.

Ghosh said: “There were charges of harassment against the three students by freshers who were in severe mental agony. Considering the nature of ragging, the three have been suspended.”

Senior students alleged that no inquiry committee was constituted to probe the charges.

However, such a committee is not mandatory after the Supreme Court ruled that steps can be taken against ragging culprits if they are identified by the victims, Ghosh said.

The college has an anti-ragging squad comprising three teachers that patrols the students’ halls between 4.30 pm and 10 pm. It is not known yet how the incident eluded the anti-ragging squad.

The second semester students alleged that the college authorities have suspended their classmates for leading the protest demonstration before higher education minister Satya Sadhan Chakraborty on August 2.

All 450 second semester students were suspended following the incident. The mass suspension order was lifted after chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee intervened. The panel inquiring into the incident is yet to submit a report.